Vincent Price's Daring Journey: How 'Thriller' Granted Him Eternal Fame

As Halloween approaches, it seems that we simply can't escape the voice of Vincent Price, the chillingly charismatic horror icon, narrated by none other than his own daughter, Victoria Price. It's a delightful tidbit she shared with Fox News Digital, emphasizing that as long as Halloween exists, so too will the echoes of his spine-tingling laughter.

Now, let’s take a trip down memory lane, one that begins with a daring whim in the English capital. Picture this: a young Vincent Price, a swashbuckler in both height—standing a glorious 6 feet 4 inches—and in ambition, studying diligently for his master's in art history at the University of London. That’s when fate intervened, wrapped in a dare from a friend to audition for the then-banned play "Chicago." Victoria, a loving daughter and a pop culture historian in her own right, recounts that, despite his strong desire to tread the boards, young Vincent struggled to land roles. “He always wanted to be an actor… but he never got cast.” Cue destiny and a sprinkle of theatrical serendipity!

But let’s be real, it wasn't all gothic villains and bloody scenes at first. “He wanted to become a character actor,” Victoria said, stressing that the roles he found himself in—handsome leading man types—never quite fit his desires. You know, the kind of roles that went perfectly with a well-pressed tuxedo and a hint of charm, rather than the delightfully twisted characters he truly longed to portray. His muses? Icons like Spencer Tracy and Jimmy Cagney were his North Star, not the gangsters he so easily could have been typecast as, thanks to his disarming looks. "He found that being sort of a Gothic villain was his entrée," Victoria mused, highlighting his transformation from dapper debutante to the eerie star of "House of Wax."

Ah, but the allure of villainy! According to his daughter, the twisty narratives of the bad guy appealed to him for a very specific reason: "the nice guys have no fun." Isn't that the truth? The complexity of a villain's psyche, their moral ambivalence, was more than enough fodder for an actor with wit to spare. Vincent Price understood this dichotomy beautifully, which essentially turned him into Hollywood's court jester of the macabre. “He had this quality where you loved Vincent Price and you loved that he was scaring you,” Victoria reminisced. Now, there’s a dusty old tombstone I’d like to see—Vincent Price: The Bad Guy We All Rooted For.

And look, let's be honest—who knew that beneath that suave exterior was a man who loved to crack jokes? Victoria recalled his comedic brilliance, from guest spots on “The Carol Burnett Show” to delightful antics on "Batman." "There is a very fine line between horror and humor," she said, encouraging us to ponder that twist of fate where laughter meets terror, making you ache to laugh while simultaneously wanting to sprint away in fear.

As if his fame couldn’t be more solidified, there was his iconic narration in Michael Jackson's "Thriller," which brought Vincent to the attention of a whole new generation. “As long as there's Halloween, there’ll be ‘Thriller’," Victoria gleefully reported. Yes, the symbiosis of horror and music kept his spirit alive—and let’s not forget how crazy that denture prank was! (Seriously, a corroded denture under the pillow? Only a father with a twisted sense of humor could manage that.)

When it comes to family, despite his busy career, Victoria revealed that he was quite the devoted dad, a master pancake chef on Saturday mornings when he graced their home. One could only imagine the chaotic laughter bouncing off the walls as he stirred the batter. And that sweet memory of road trips, driving through the heart of America, soaking up culture and family bonding? Pure poetry. “It was just the three of us,” she laughed at the mere thought of it—a simple life filled with adventure, motels, and A&W Root Beer stops.

As a daughter of a horror legend, Victoria learned invaluable lessons, one being the embodiment of joy. "That's what he did every day," she reflected, and heaven knows we could all use a slice of that pie. Even amid the ghoulishness of his roles, Vincent Price taught his daughter to savor life, laughter, and that beautiful delight of simply being alive—something she now channels as she helps her North Carolina community recover from Hurricane Helene.

In the end, as we don our costumes and partake in frightful festivities, let’s remember that behind every terrifying harbinger of horror lies a man who believed wholeheartedly in the joy of life—and the humorous twist of fate that brought him, and his legacy, to our Halloween playlists forevermore.